Power Report: Why checklists matter when talking dents and sensibility

24 July 2016 - 02:00 By Megan Power
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Thina Mabuza discovered a dent on collecting her car from an authorised BMW repair centre.
Thina Mabuza discovered a dent on collecting her car from an authorised BMW repair centre.
Image: MOELETSI MABE

Consumer victories come in different guises; and it is not only the big wins that deserve trumpeting.

It is usually the more mundane triumphs that improve our daily lives. Or at least make them less complicated, which, for many of us, is often as good as it gets.

Not only has Johannesburg car owner Thina Mabuza's complaint about a tiny dent on her car created awareness about a practice that prejudices consumers, it has forced at least one company to change the way it does business. Hopefully others will follow suit.

This week, Sandton Auto Approved Repair Centre in Johannesburg, an authorised repairer for BMW and Mini, altered its booking-in policy to better protect customers whose cars are left in its care.

story_article_left1

And BMW South Africa, to show good faith, is picking up the R2000 bill to fix the dent.

Mabuza, 30, a liability underwriter who was furious when she first e-mailed me, is now "satisfied beyond measure". She says the policy change has pleased her even more than the payout.

The trouble started last month after her insurer referred her to the BMW repair centre following a fender bender. Mabuza's 2014 BMW 1-series was inspected in her presence for the areas approved for repair, but the rest of the car did not get a look in.

She answered standard questions on the booking form - about valuables, tracking systems, contact methods - and signed it. In doing so, Mabuza acknowledged that the car had been "checked in correctly", which in hindsight was careless of her, but understandable.

On finding a "small but deep dent" on one of the doors on collection, a dent she claims was not present when she handed over the car, she protested and refused to take delivery of the car.

"I was referred to photographic evidence as proof that the vehicle arrived in that state," said Mabuza, who refused to accept the evidence and requested video footage instead.

"If the video showed that no damage was done prior or during taking the photos I would have accepted the situation and left with my car." The footage was not supplied. She complained to BMW SA but got nowhere; instead she was referred to the inspection checklist, which reflected the dent, and asked to collect her car.

"The inspection checklist was completed in my absence [the section for client signature is blank] and nor was I present when the images were captured," said Mabuza. "But I am expected to concur with the insistence that I am responsible for the damage."

She said the problem would not have arisen had the car been inspected in her presence.

"The damage and the cost becomes immaterial when it is a question of principle ... a change in procedure is the end goal here," she said.

Two days after I asked BMW SA to investigate, it contacted Mabuza to say that Sandton Auto was still adamant the car came in with the dent but that BMW SA had decided to pay for the dent repair.

Mabuza accepted the gesture but said she hoped it would force the repair centre to review its policy. "An indemnity form does not translate to the owner's consent for them to be reckless with third-party property."

Agreed. And so, it seemed, did BMW SA.

Said spokesman Edward Makwana: "The standard policy at all BMW-approved repair centres and dealerships is that when a customer takes their car in for service or repairs, they must be taken through a checklist/walk around the car to ensure that both parties acknowledge the condition of the car before and after the service.

story_article_right2

"The customer must sign the checklist as acknowledgement of the car being checked by the respective service manager.

"I would highly recommend that, where possible, customers also take pictures in the drop-off process to ensure there is enough evidence if they suspect anything when collecting their vehicle after the service."

So what of Sandton Auto?

"We have addressed this issue with the Sandton Auto repair centre to ensure that it does not happen again."

I asked the centre's general manager, Owen Roberts, what went wrong. Turns out, nothing. The centre's practice is not to conduct the 30-minute check with the customer present.

Mabuza's check was done an hour or two after she left.

"We book in anything from 25 to 30 vehicles a day ... since I have been here we have never had a request for the check to be carried out in the client's presence," said Roberts.

But he said the case had been a lesson for them, prompting a change in policy. The form now asks, in bold, whether a customer would like to be present during the check-in procedure. "We will certainly learn from this and ensure we do not have any misunderstanding or miscommunication going forward," he said.

The check-in process includes marking areas of imperfections using a water-based marker, plus interior and exterior photographs, as well as a paper checklist.

Roberts said the pictures, taken using a hand-held Windows-based unit and uploaded directly to its server, were date-stamped but not time-stamped.

My advice? Whether you are handing over your car for servicing or valet parking, or accepting and returning a rental car, insist on a checklist of existing damage to be jointly done and, most importantly, do not leave without taking your own cellphone pictures.

Extra effort. But a lot less painful than the alternative.

sub_head_start Contact Megan Power sub_head_end

E-mail: consumer@sundaytimes.co.za

Follow Megan on Twitter: @Power_Report

Please note: Other than in exceptional circumstances, readers sending me complaints must be willing to be identified and photographed.

Tune in to Power98.7's "Power Breakfast" (DStv audio channel 889) at 8.50am tomorrow to hear more from Megan

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now